NK would be crazy to not try to become nuclear capable. The Kims have a played a mediocre hand really well. Having nukes is just a further deterrent to invasion. Letting the world know they have nukes is predictable as well - of course you want your adversaries to know you could drop a nuke on them if you wanted.
The difference now is Trump is an idiot and is actually ratcheting up the situation beyond where it should be. Every conversation about a war with NK should start and end with "are we willing to write-off Seoul?". Nobody in power in the USA has ever considered that as a reasonable outcome, but I honestly think Trump is incapable of basic empathy so wouldn't care if SK was leveled or not.
The only good that could come out of this is if Trump's idiocy accidentally makes NK back off, but that would just be dumb luck and not good diplomacy on Trump's part. Striking NK preemptively is absolutely unacceptable to anybody with half a brain. Let them saber-rattle, give a little response so they know we're listening, and move on like we always have.
What really sucks is Trump manufactured - or at least amplified - this problem. NK should not be on the forefront of the world's mind right now. This whole thing is stupid.
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